Marian's Folly
by Elfinium
Summary: Robin and Marian are hunting in the woods. A small piece of fluff and an embarrassed maid. Pre Lardeners Ring.


**A/N Very silly fluffy one shot for Robin and Marian. It is set during Marian's time in the forest shortly before the Lardeners Ring episode. I do not own Robin Hood, or Marian or for that matter a forest. I do have a cloak.**

**Enjoy. x**

* * *

It was completely selfish, but Marian had finally admitted, to herself at least, that there was nowhere else she would rather be. Robin was walking beside her, scanning the forest for anything that Much could remotely make edible. She knew she should be doing the same, but her traitorous eyes would keep being drawn to glance at his face as if she could not believe he was there.

The gang had to eat, someone had to hunt, and somehow it had fallen to Marian and Robin to take on that particular chore. She wondered if he longed for their trips into the forest alone as much as she did.

Robin signalled with his hand that she should stay still as he silently stalked ahead. She did as requested, leaning on her bow, and couldn't help but marvel at how he moved like a cat, graceful... strong... She was reminded when he had lifted her effortlessly down from the roof and held her in his arms as they became lost in each other...

'Oh for goodness sake!' She snapped inwardly. Rolling her eyes at her own thoughts, she tried once again to concentrate. She was the night-watchman, she chided herself, she was a fighter, now an outlaw. Their struggle was for king and country, for the people and here she was mooning over some man.

But this was the problem wasn't it? He wasn't 'some man'. He was her love, Robin of Locksley, Master of the bow and lord of her heart. She only now realised, despite her many protests, that the time away from him had been a physical pain she had simply learnt to live with. Now it was gone, they were together, and she felt finally alive again.

* * *

He had disappeared into the trees. So lost was she in her reverie that she had not noticed. Now there was no sign of the outlaw.

"Robin?" She called in a low voice.

He used to play this game as a child, she remembered it well. They would venture off into the forest and suddenly he would vanish, only to reappear from behind to make her jump and squeal while he laughed himself silly. Marian whipped around quickly, but she seemed to be quite alone. She wasn't fooled for a moment.

"Robin!" She hissed again, only just managing to stop her inner ten year old stamping her foot. "Grow up!"

He stepped out from behind a tree, a mischievous grin on his face.

"You really are a spoilsport Marian." He said, his eyes twinkling.

"And _you_ are predictable."

He strode forwards with his customary swagger, stopping directly in front of her.

"Predictable?" He raised an eyebrow.

Marian gazed up into blue eyes. "Predictable and... boring." She said, glancing away quickly to hide her smirk.

"Boring?" The other eyebrow shot upwards in surprise.

"And did I mention utterly childish?" She added as she once more held his gaze. This time she could not stop the amusement showing on her lips.

"Predictable, boring and _utterly_ childish? These are very serious charges indeed." He said gravely hanging his head.

Without warning, Robin lunged and before she knew it, Marian had been lifted from the ground and thrown over his shoulder. She squeaked involuntarily as he held her too tightly to wriggle out of his embrace, something she had managed easily before when Guy tried the same thing.

She found herself being spun.

"Stop it Robin!" She gasped, trying to gain some purchase on his shoulder with her hands. "put me down!"

"What's the magic word?" He laughed, stopping.

"NOW!" She said breathlessly.

"Wrong..." He began to turn again.

"Please!" She gasped in exasperation. "Put me down please."

He lowered her gently and, to Marian, painfully slowly to the ground. She could not help but be aware of him and how close they were, their noses barely inches apart. He still grasped her waist firmly. Her hands now rested on his shoulders.

"You are infuriating." She said trying to look cross. "Now I feel dizzy."

Robin leant forwards. "You always make me dizzy." He said with a cheeky smile. "and I still love it when you look at me like that."

She raised her eyes to the canopy and sighed. "Do those lines ever work?"

"You tell me." He whispered before pressing his lips softly against hers. Marian responded automatically as if her sole reason to be on earth was to kiss him. Her fingers teased the tendrils of hair at the base of his neck as she pulled him closer. Robin's hands caressed her lower back as their kiss deepened. Time seemed to stop.

* * *

Breaking apart, Marian rested her head against his shoulder and inhaled. The smell of Robin, wood smoke and forest coupled with the wool, the sewn in leaves and ivy of his cloak and the fact that they lived in a forest, gave him a unique aroma like no other.

Suddenly Robin raised his head like a deer sensing the hunter.

"What is it?" Marian whispered.

He shook his head indicating she should listen. Someone was indeed crashing through the forest and would be upon them in seconds. They had been careless. Marian felt herself being pushed backwards into the shell of an old hollow tree. Pulling up his hood, Robin winked before spreading his camouflaged cloak and rendering them both virtually invisible.

"I want every inch of this forest searched. I don't care if you have to unearth every tree, every leaf, every worm! Lady Marian could not disappear without a trace!" Guy was screaming at the squad of soldiers currently charging through the undergrowth.

Marian tried not to breathe. The men must be all around them. Guy had sounded as though he was just the other side of the tree, if he walked this way, if they moved... she could feel her heart pounding in her chest and was sure Guy would hear it too.

Space in the tree was limited and they were forced to press tightly together, her face nuzzled into Robin's neck. Despite the danger she was painfully aware of the contours of his body, and how he must equally be conscious of hers. 'What is _wrong_ with me?' She thought.

Marian may have been a maid, but she had been brought up on a farm and had many married friends. The birds and the bees were no mystery to her. This may have been why her mind drifted to one part of Robin pressing against her that was suddenly very apparent.

Her eyes opened wide in shock. It was... so... big." she resisted the urge to gasp. 'Oh my word.' She thought. "I never imagined!" Memories of giggling with newly married friends came back to her. Sizes and shapes and descriptions of new husbands, ranging from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous, but nothing could have prepared her for this. Of course she had wondered, it was only natural, but how on earth would she ever...?

* * *

There was no way she could risk moving, not with the soldiers so close, but even with the retreating threat, she couldn't help but focus on the hardness against her leg. She felt the blush rising from her neck until it seemed the roots of her hair would catch fire. After what seemed like an age, Robin finally pulled back his hood. He peered around the edge of the tree to check the coast was clear before extending his hand to help her out.

Marian could not meet his eye, she kept her head down and turned away, desperately tried to think about something other than the blood pounding through her cheeks.

"Marian?" He asked quizzically.

She took a deep breath. This was ridiculous, she was hardly a child.

"Are you all right?" He asked again. She could feel his eyes on her back as she prayed for the blush to subside.

"I am quite well." She said with difficulty as she moved away.

His hand caught her arm and he turned her towards him. Again her eyes betrayed her as she glanced in the direction of the 'thing'.

Eagle eyed as always, Robin followed her gaze. He frowned for a moment before putting together the look and her current flustered state. He couldn't help himself, he began to laugh.

Marian folded her arms and glared as the outlaw doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

"What..." She said, the words dripping ice. "Is so funny?"

He looked up, only to collapse again in amusement.

She shifted her stance. There was a very real possibility she would have to punch him if he didn't stop mocking her.

"I'm sorry." He gasped as he caught his breath finally. His hands on his knees he held her eye. There was the familiar smirk. He straightened and crossed the distance between them.

"You thought..." He said quietly in her ear.

She felt the blush rising again and cursed it.

He lifted his cloak and nodded towards the area of her interest. She wished the leaves would open and swallow her whole as she realised. There was Robin's trusty knife in it's scabbard hanging from Robin's belt.

Her mouth opened in a wide O as she desperately fought for something to say, some way out of this situation.

"Don't worry my love." She could hear the smile in his voice as his lips moved by her ear. "Although _that_ might be something to live up to, when the time comes, I'm sure you wont be disappointed."

He pecked her quickly on the cheek and took off into the forest leaving Marian to deal with her embarrassment.

"Are you coming?" He called cheerfully over his shoulder.

Marian clenched and unclenched her fists, in time this would be funny, still, she knew it would be a while before she would ever live it down.

Sighing in resignation, she turned back towards the camp.


End file.
